The Petroleum Development Act 1974 is in breach of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and the federal constitution. It is therefore, null and void, but, so far had not been repealed. The GPS government knows this but what had the GPS government done until today?
This could be gathered in a statement published in Dayak Daily on October, 2019 by the Sarawak Legislative Assembly Speaker Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar. The Speaker said the Petroleum Development Act 1974 (PDA74) is invalid after the emergency been lifted in 2011, in which he meant that Petroleum Development Act 1974 now is “reductio ad absurdum” (reduction to absurdity). Although the Petroleum Development Act 1974 is said reduced to absurdity but this does not mean that the Act is repealed.
So far, I know not of any attempt been made by parliament to repeal Petroleum Development Act 1974, Continental Shelf Act 1966 and Territorial Seas Act 2012 that took away our oil and gas away nor was there any attempt by the Sarawak Legislature not recognize these Acts. All these three Acts should be repealed!
Petroleum Development Act 1974 should not be left hanging to create uncertainty concerning the ownership of oil and gas resources. What Sarawakians understand is that oil and gas are still vested in the hands of PETRONAS and PETRONAS is still pumping Sarawak’s oil and gas away. The then Petronas president/group chief executive officer Datuk Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) mentioned to the press in 2017 Sarawak had 60 oil and gas (O&G) producing fields in Sarawak and was pumping away an average of 850,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day from Sarawak ( source: New Straits Times By Bernama - August 18, 2017 @ 9:58pm).
There could be more oil and gas oilfields and more oil being pumped away each day from Sarawak now.
Sarawakians wish to hold the GPS government for the loss of these resources though Petroleum Development Act 1974, Continental Shelf Act 1966 and Territorial Seas Act 2012 which are yet repealed until today. GPS government owes Sarawakians an explanation why this was not done yet. GPS government being a member of PN government can easily repeal these Acts and there is no reason why this is not done yet.
Sarawak Premier, Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Abang Openg, in a recent press statement said Luconia Shoals has most oil and gas fields in Malaysia. Based on statistic, Sarawak has 62 percent of Malaysia’s gas reserves and 29 percent of the total crude oil in Malaysia.
Some years ago Sarawak Assembly passed a resolution calling for 20 percent oil royalty, but I did not find that this had been fulfilled until today. Why Sarawak government under GPS does not want to get 100% of her oil and gas back but 20% only and yet this had not been fulfilled until today?
This is a great loss to Sarawak. Sarawak should not allow Malaya to control and share her resources.
Sarawak being the largest oil producing state in Malaysia could be as rich as Dubai or even richer if Sarawak could take back all her oil and gas resources. With the wealth from oil and gas, there will be no headache to develop Sarawak.
According to Tengku 3Razaleigh Hamzah, PETRONAS was making RM90 billion profit every year but Sarawak what had Sarawak got all these years from the federal government was, if I am not wrong, was a development budget that never surpassed RM5billion - please see Daily Express May 15, 2020 since Malaysia was formed. What Sarawak got was always less than what Sabah got all these years.
To protect further loss of our oil and gas, it is time for GPS government to seek exit from the federation of Malaysia. The GPS government may wish to know that there is no prohibition under the federal constitution to seek exit from Malaysia and Sarawak has intrinsic right to independence. We should not allow our wealth be used to benefit others and to allow this wealth be used to develop Malaya and pay Malaysia’s national debt of RM979.8 billion as of the end of last December 2021 as disclosed in parliament - source: FMT by Dineskumar Ragu-March 21, 2022 11:45 AM National debt stands at RM979.8bil, Parliament told.
Voon Lee Shan
President,
Parti Bumi Kenyalang,
31 March, 2022